Diets for dry cows should not only cover the needs for maintenance and growth of the foetus. Low calcium diets or feeding acidic salts prepare the dairy cow for the high calcium requirements at the beginning of lactation and counteract milk fever. To avoid obesity, cows should be fed a diet with reduced energy content. To maximise feed intake, the ration should be palatable.
At the beginning of lactation, the task of feeding dairy cows is to compensate for the resulting energy deficit. After calving, feed intake increases slowly, but energy and nutrient requirements increase significantly. The changing energy requirements of the dairy cow place high demands on her nutrition. Supplements such as propylene glycol, glycerol, live yeast or protected fats help to relieve the liver during the onset of lactation.
Stabilisation of dairy cow diets and increase in energy, suppression of secondary heating, increase in feed intake, prevention of ketosis